Algae are attracting a lot of attention and investment as an alternative energy source. Algae grow quickly, contain a lot of oil and don't take up valuable farmland. Ann Dornfeld profiles one Seattle, Washington, company that is trying to turn algae into fuel.
A pontoon boat floats just a few feet off the shore of Dumas Bay in Washington's Puget Sound. Two men are standing in the waist-deep water around the boat. They're guiding a layer of floating algae into a funnel the size of a football. The funnel is connected to a hose that is gently sucking the algae into a pump mounted on this boat. Then the algae flow into a burlap bag.
It's an algae harvest, and James Stevens is directing the process. He says they have to be careful not to suck up young salmon or other animals along with the algae.
"This junction can be turned on," he says, pointing to a switch, "and it allows me to feed water into a box where then I can sort and make sure there's no bycatch actually coming through the system."
If there are any fish or crabs in the box, the process would have to be shut down immediately.
Stevens is vice president and chief scientist of Blue Marble Energy. It's a Seattle startup trying to turn algae into fuel. Most algae-to-energy researchers are growing algae in giant tanks. Blue Marble has a different plan: gather algae that are already growing in noxious blooms along coastlines.
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